Maple Creek's alert accidental; drinking water advisory still in place

The town of Maple Creek's province-wide alert sent out today regarding a drinking water advisory was unintended.

Phones located across Saskatchewan lit up at 1:10 p.m. with the notification that was only intended to be sent to town residents and a portion of southwestern Saskatchewan. 

The cause for the alert was due to a large water main break on the 200 block of Maple Street at around 12:15 p.m. causing the community to be placed under a precautionary drinking water advisory until further notice.

"Maple Creek experienced a depressurization of our water distribution system due to the water main break," Gillian LaBoucane, the economic development officer for the town, said.  "That water main break has been isolated and is under repair.

"Our system is back to full pressure and the water is on for the majority of our residents, except for those within the 200 block of Maple Street where the repair is taking place."

The last time the town of 2,176 people experienced a large water main break was in 2018.

"We have water leaks quite often due to the nature of our weather," she said. "The freeze and thaw will impact our infrastructure."

Maple Creek now must wait until samples return clear from the lab before they're able to lift the precautionary drinking water advisory. 

No cost on the water main break has been tabulated yet.

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